history timeline meet the upic staff - clemson … · 28 the power of internship 30 upic interns...
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2 A LOOK AT OUR PAST
4 HISTORY TIMELINE
6 MEET THE UPIC STAFF
8 OUR 5-YEAR JOURNEY
10 HOW FAR HAVE WE COME?
12 CORE COMPETENCIES
14 THE POWER OF MENTORSHIP
16 UPIC MENTORS Dhruv Jain (16)
Julie Vidotto (18)
Brian Callahan (20)
Lisa Robinson (22)
Ashley Hall (24)
26 Q+A: MATTHEW KIRK AND SAVANNAH HENDERSON
28 THE POWER OF INTERNSHIP
30 UPIC INTERNS Joey Wilson (30)
Sarah Dorsey (32)
Curtis Beck (34)
Erin Hughes (36)
Nicole Dunne (38)
Brianna Berry (40)
Mason Hill (42)
Jonah Robison (44)
Edward Stello and Brett Kelly (46)
Scott Groel (48)
Allyson Walters (50)
Trevlonta Peeples (52)
Emily Blackshire (54)
56 UPIC ALUMNI
Summers Binnicker (56)
Paul Mosher (58)
Réven Smalls (60)
62 Q+A: BETHANY GROGAN AND MEAGAN HUFF
UPIC MAGAZINE INTERNS
Kate Sidener, Graphic Designer
Caroline Brittingham, Writer/Copy Editor
Ashley Hill, Copy Editor
Amanda Walker, Photographer
Danielle Gill, Photographer
CONTENTSISSUE 5
In 2011, former Clemson University President James Barker and then-Provost Dr. Dori Helms had a vision for an on-campus internship program that would accomplish a handful of objectives:-Have students “peek behind the curtain” to better understand how the University works.-Provide financial assistance for students to help offset educational expenses. -Expose students to potential career opportunities at the University.-Enable students to earn professional experience without needing to leave campus.-Prepare students to successfully compete for external internships and full-time positions.-Create mentor relationships to encourage students to earn their degrees.
2012
2016
–201
7
A LOOK AT OUR PAST
We started with 20 interns in spring
2012 with a goal of reaching 500
annually by the year of 2020. We
have surpassed our goal and more
than 915 internships were offered
for 2016–2017.
= 4 Interns
2
The University had ambitious goals for
this initiative. With no existing framework,
personnel or budget, then-Provost Helms
wanted the program to offer 500 internships
by the year 2020. After running a pilot group
of 20 existing interns through the program
in spring 2012, the full version of the
program began in earnest that summer, and
was christened the University Professional
Internship/Co-op (UPIC) program shortly
thereafter. The program was wildly successful.
Within a year of its inception, the Chronicle
of Higher Education boasted about UPIC’s
success, and dozens of other schools inquired
about how to start similar initiatives on their
campuses.
This national attention didn’t go unnoticed
back in South Carolina. In October 2013, the
state Legislature said it valued UPIC so much
it would provide Clemson with $1 million
in additional support. There was a catch,
however; the Legislature wanted Clemson to
offer 500 experiences that same year — a
full seven years ahead of schedule! Interest
in the program grew steadily, and soon even
the state’s generous support wasn’t enough
to meet the demand of students and mentors
who wanted to participate. Fortunately, the
Office of Student Financial Aid stepped in
to supplement the program for participants
who were eligible for Federal Work-Study.
This new source of assistance enabled the
program to extend opportunities to even more
students, and more than 915 assignments
will take place by the end of the 2016–2017
academic year.
This program’s success isn’t confined to
just participation numbers; however, data
shows UPIC students are much more likely
to find jobs upon graduation, and many
have accepted full-time positions with the
University and now serve as UPIC mentors.
UPIC students have worked on projects
for start-up companies through NEXT, the
Regional Economic Development Center
(REDC), and other such entrepreneurial
enterprises, which is surely pleasing to those
interested in Clemson’s economic engagement
in the state.
Enduring student-faculty mentoring
relationships have developed across campus,
substantial learning objectives have been
established and met, and many students have
also remained enrolled at Clemson as a result
of the program.
UPIC’s success is inextricably tied to the
time and effort staff members spend ensuring
assignments deliver experiences that are both
educationally and professionally relevant.
Without these dedicated educators and
counselors, the program would be nothing
more than a campus job generator. They are
owed a tremendous amount of thanks for their
efforts on behalf of the UPIC program.
While UPIC has come a long way since the
first 20 students went through the program
five short years ago, the best is yet to come.
Neil BurtonCCPD Executive Director
A LOOK AT OUR PAST
3
HISTORY TIMELINE2011 The on-campus
internship program
added to Clemson’s
2020 Road Map.
President Barker,
Provost Helms and
others seek to enhance
student engagement.
2012 UPIC featured in The
Chronicle of Higher
Education.
UPIC office set up in
the Hendrix Student
Center (Suite 314).
Program officially
named University
Professional
Internship/Co-op
(UPIC) Program.
2013 First issue of the
UPIC newsletter,
“UPIC It Up,”
produced.
UPIC introduced
Intern Orientation
and Mentor Lunch
and Learn Sessions.
New marketing plan
and advertising
materials created to
promote growth.
2014 An article about
UPIC featured in the
Clemson Newsstand.
Two full-time,
temporary positions
joined the UPIC staff.
Online UPIC mentor
training module
posted at
clemson.edu/career.
2015 UPIC offered a
record-breaking 826
experiences.
Partnership with the
Office of Financial
Aid leveraged
Federal Work-Study
funds, increasing
participation.
15-to-1 applicant-to-
position ratio spoke
to the popularity and
competitiveness of
the program.
UPIC broke another
record by offering
915 annual
experiences.
UPIC interns are
found to be 20
percent more likely
to have a job upon
graduation.
2016
Collaboration with the
Support, Opportunity,
Achievement and Retention
(SOAR) Institute allowed
Pell-eligible, first-generation
student involvement.
4
HISTORY TIMELINE
UPIC Assistant
Director hired; UPIC
increases to four
full-time employees
and a Graduate
Assistant (GA).
Many departments
fund 100 percent due
to accommodate high
internship demands.
University received
nonrecurring funding
and set a new goal
of 635 annual
experiences in 2014.
Academic Internship
course (INT)
introduced as part of
the UPIC program.
UPIC Magazine
launched its
inaugural issue.
UPIC on track to
meet expansion
goal of at least 600
annual experiences.
UPIC played a major role
in securing Clemson’s
Association of Public Land-
grant Universities (APLU)
Innovation & Economic
Prosperity Award
More than 181,757
hours worked on
campus by UPIC
students.
948 site visits were
conducted by UPIC
staff members.
Partnership with
Athletics and
Clemson Football
established to offer
more student-athlete
opportunities. 5
Troy NunamakerDirector of Graduate and Internship Programs Interests: automobile history and national parksEducation: Wittenberg University, Clemson University
RESPONSIBILITIES:Manages internship programs and budgets, assesses program effectiveness and provides career development counseling.
Caren Kelley-HallAssociate Director Interests: Charleston Fashion Week and technologyEducation: Lander University, Clemson University
RESPONSIBILITIES:Instructor for UPIC internship courses, conducts site visits and provides advising and counseling.
Audrey GrouxGraduate AssistantInterests: soccer, zumba and musicalsEducation: University of Maryland, Clemson University
RESPONSIBILITIES:Assists with internship site visits and provides career development counseling.
Jenna Tucker Assistant DirectorInterests: concerts, travel and readingEducation: Clemson University
RESPONSIBILITIES:Assists with intern and mentor training, conducts UPIC site visits and provides career development counseling.
Nicole DunneMarketing InternInterests: communications, marketing and public relationsEducation: Clemson University
RESPONSIBILITIES:Creates the monthly newsletter and marketing materials, communicates with UPIC mentors and interns, and answers questions about UPIC.
Lisa RobinsonAssistant DirectorInterests: international travelEducation: Cornell University, Boston College Law School
RESPONSIBILITIES:Conducts site visits, assists with mentor and intern training and provides career development counseling.
Toni HeddenProgram Coordinator Interests: good campfires and outdoor activitiesEducation: Western Carolina University
RESPONSIBILITIES:Coordinates payroll, orchestrates emails and assists interns with hours.
MEET THE UPIC STAFF
6
248n
n
of 346 Fall 2016 Interns were located near or on Clemson’s main campus.
MENTOR RETENTION FALL 2016
48%
11%
4%
19%
18%
Duration (Semesters)
54321
From Summer 2016 to Fall 2016 the number of new mentors increased by 16%.
PickensGreenville
Pendleton
Oconee
Abbeville
Laurens
McCormick
Florence
Georgetow
Charlesto
710
13
4
5
27
13
29
4
WHEREAREOURINTERNS LOCATED?FA
LL 2
016
Clemson
7
UPIC interns are 20% more likely to
have a JOB offer upon graduation.
100% of fall 2016 UPIC interns discuss in
detail their PERSONAL and PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT during their internship
experience.
“Coming into this internship, I was unsure of my public speaking skills and rarely took initiative. Now, I am confident speaking in front of a room of people, and I rarely hesitate to take initiative.” — Fall 2016 UPIC Intern
81% of UPIC interns rate their level of
proficiency in COMMUNICATION as advanced
or expert.
100% of fall 2016 UPIC interns describe
MAJOR PROJECTS completed throughout the
semester.
OUR 5-YEAR JOURNEY
2,054TOTAL UPIC EXPERIENCES and COUNTING
FALL
201
4 —
303
SPR
ING
201
5 —
349
SUM
MER
201
5 —
197
FALL
201
5 —
290
SPR
ING
201
6 —
342
SUM
MER
201
6 —
227
FALL
201
6 —
346
20%100% 81%
100%
8
80% of UPIC interns rate their level of
proficiency in COLLABORATION as advanced
or expert.
71% of UPIC interns rate their level of
proficiency in LEADERSHIP as advanced
or expert.
TOTALING
OUR 5-YEAR JOURNEY61,624.81 68,741.32
47,684.88 65,183.06
68,824.08 51,973.02
68,943.72
TOTALUPIC HOURS and COUNTING
TOTAL UPIC EXPERIENCES and COUNTING
432,974.8971%
80%
9
HOWFARHAVEWECOME?
Data reported from fall 2014 through summer 2016.
95% of UPIC
mentors rated how their intern
performed during the internship
term in regards to an ability
to THINK CRITICALLY and
ANALYTICALLY as “good”
or “outstanding.”
76% of UPIC
interns rate their level of
proficiency in ANALYTICAL
SKILLS as “advanced” or
“expert.”
95% of UPIC mentors rated how
their intern performed during the internship
term in regards to degree of ENTHUSIASM,
INTEREST and ENGAGEMENT in internship
placement as “good” or “outstanding.”
10
78% of
UPIC interns rate their
level of proficiency in
SELF-AWARENESS as
“advanced” or “expert.”
95% of UPIC
mentors rated how their intern
performed during the internship
term in regards to ability to
grasp NEW KNOWLEDGE,
CONCEPTS and SITUATIONS
as “good” or “outstanding.”
95% of UPIC mentors
rated the student intern’s overall
PERFORMANCE during this
internship term as “good”
or “outstanding.”
95% of UPIC mentors rated
how their intern performed during the
internship term in regards to understanding
of PROFESSIONAL and ETHICAL
RESPONSIBILITY as “good”
or “outstanding.”
86% of UPIC
interns rate their level of
proficiency in ADAPTABILITY
as “advanced” or “expert.”
70% of
UPIC interns rate their
level of proficiency
in TECHNOLOGY as
“advanced” or “expert.”
83% of
UPIC interns rate their
level of proficiency in
INTEGRITY & ETHICS
as “advanced” or
“expert.”
74% of UPIC
interns rate their level of
proficiency in BRAND as
“advanced” or “expert.”
11
CORECOMPETENCIES
12
COMMUNICATION
Engaging in dialogue that leads to productive
outcomes and points of connection by
effectively articulating one’s self to individuals
within and outside of one’s industry or area
of expertise.
COLLABORATION
Developing authentic and mutually beneficial
relationships by valuing everyone and taking
responsibility for one’s role within a team.
LEADERSHIP
Being able to recognize, respect, develop
and capitalize on the unique strengths of
individuals from all backgrounds and being
an active member in a group that achieves
a shared vision.
ADAPTABILITY
Taking the initiative to further enhance one’s
skill set and being creative with ways of
thinking or approaches that allow for action,
reflection, failure and resilience in an ever-
changing world.
ANALYTICAL SKILLS
Seizing the opportunity for organizational
improvement that prompts critical thinking
and problem solving by obtaining, processing
and synthesizing information.
TECHNOLOGY
Employing current and emerging software and
tools to solve general and industry-specific
challenges.
SELF-AWARENESS
Understanding one’s strengths, limitations,
emotions and biases in a variety of situations
and articulating how one’s interests, skills and
values align with educational and professional
goals.
INTEGRITY & ETHICS
Making choices and consistently acting in
a manner that displays integrity (following
internal principles, morals and values) and
ethics (following external laws, rules and
norms) in personal and professional settings.
BRAND
Demonstrating the continual development of
a positive impression or image in every facet
of life while seeking feedback from others to
ensure congruence between one’s intended
and perceived reputation.
CORE COMPETENCIESMindset – Clemson wants to empower
students to achieve their educational and
professional goals. To be successful in life
after Clemson, students will need to polish
skills they already have, develop skills they
don’t and apply them in a variety of settings.
This tool will help students identify how to
unleash their inner tiger.
Why – Employers and graduate/professional
schools want students to demonstrate
the knowledge, skills and attitude (a.k.a.
competency) necessary for success in their
respective environments.
Who – Students play the pivotal role, but
Clemson will provide opportunities to develop
skills essential to their success.
What – For these key competencies, Clemson
has defined five proficiency levels: awareness,
basic, intermediate, advanced and expert.
Where – While at Clemson, students will have
opportunities to develop these competencies
through classes, clubs, organizations,
internships, co-ops, part-time jobs,
assistantships, Creative Inquiry, research,
study abroad, volunteering, special projects
and more.
When – Students will take steps throughout
the year to increase their proficiency in
multiple competencies.
How – Students can go through the Learn,
Act, Flex, Succeed Cycle to gain proficiency
in these or any other competencies.
Communication
Collaboration
Technology
Analytical Skills
Adaptability
Leadership
Brand
Integrity & Ethics
Self-Awareness
Critical Thinking
Science, Technology and Society
Ethical Judgment
Mathematics
Cross-Cultural Awareness
Arts and Humanities
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
CLEMSON SUPPORTS THE INNOVATION OF STUDENTS
Mentors ranked COMMUNICATION and COLLABORATION from the nine competencies as the top-two strengths of fall 2016 UPIC interns.
Interns cited CRITICAL THINKING more frequently than any other aptitude on the end of semester surveys during six consecutive semesters.
13
Almost everyone can think back and credit
a mentor who enriched their professional
development and helped them achieve
success in their career. A mentor is someone
who guides and gives advice, someone who
knows how intimidating it can be to learn
something new and find a place in the
professional world. Learning is a lifelong
process and sharing that process with others
can be rewarding and fulfilling. It can make
a tremendous impact on the lives of both the
mentor and the mentee. Through mentorship
from Clemson University faculty and staff,
the UPIC program provides engaging learning
experiences for students, an important
initiative of the University’s ClemsonForward
strategic plan.
14
Engagement is an area of student
development in the Center for Career and
Professional Development’s (CCPD) Core
Competencies. Along with two additional
areas, Innovation and Professionalism, the
Core Competencies are designed to give
students a variety of tools for success as a
professional. Communication, adaptability
and self-awareness are just some examples
of the skills students learn through the Core
Competencies (to view them all visit clemson.edu/career/core). UPIC mentors also have the
Core Competencies in mind when assigning
tasks and giving feedback to their interns.
It is a big responsibility to become a mentor,
but a responsibility that is not without great
merit. Mentoring not only helps students,
but also those that chose to mentor. Through
the power of mentorship, mentors can
reflect on their own goals and work toward
furthering their professional development.
In five years of the UPIC program, mentors
have shown they are eager to share their
experiences and lend advice to students.
Most UPIC mentors have shared moments
where their own mentors inspired, motivated
and encouraged their professional journey.
As you will read throughout the pages of
this five-year, commemorative edition of
the UPIC magazine, mentorship involves
guidance and leadership as well as advocacy
and relationship. From showing students
how to apply knowledge and skills learned in
the classroom to offering career advice and
establishing next-step goals, UPIC mentors
cultivate success and growth in Clemson
students.
Mentorship is a one-on-one, real-time
experience, allowing students to gain
valuable expertise and knowledge outside
the walls of their classrooms. The success of
Clemson University’s UPIC program is seen
through the component of mentorship — a
component that gives mentors fulfillment and
rejuvenation and gives students the ability to
put learning into action.
“My intern consistently displays an eagerness to serve students and the Center [CCPD] and chooses to prioritize customer service. He is friendly and warm to students and has a high level of interpersonal skills as evidenced in his engaging demeanor, active listening and ability to remain present with people.”— fall 2016 mentor
15
UPICMENTOR Dhruv Jain
16
“I learned so many things about working for a university, and I really like how I could play an important role in it all.”
Students in the UPIC program are trusted
with challenging tasks that directly impact
Clemson University. In many ways, the
University relies on UPIC interns to help
Clemson become a more innovative and
outstanding place to learn and live.
Dhruv Jain, a Clemson University and
UPIC alumnus, was entrusted with a lot of
responsibility as a web development intern
within Student Affairs Publications. When
entering this position, Jain was given the
task of redesigning the website for Clemson
University’s Division of Student Affairs, one
of the University’s largest divisions.
Jain began his internship without any formal
web experience and worked for two semesters
as an intern. “I had no experience in web
when I started, so I had to learn a bunch of
things on my own,” Jain said. Working from
scratch, Jain began designing and creating a
new framework for the Student Affairs website
that would be more interactive and engaging
for students. He was the leader of the project
and was also in charge of coordinating and
planning with other team members. “My
position required me to learn many technical
skills, but it also taught me a lot about being
a leader because I was the only one leading
the project,” he said. “I had to communicate
with multiple departments and different team
members. I was always getting feedback and
going back to the drawing board to make the
design better.” Having this opportunity helped
Jain develop team management skills and
effective communication skills.
Being able to work as a web development
intern was also transformative for Jain’s future
career aspirations. Learning the ins and outs
of website design peaked Jain’s interest in
the field. “I realized that I really liked the
idea of website designing,” he explained.
“That’s how I came to the conclusion that I
wanted to continue doing that as a career.”
Jain’s internship not only showed him that
he wanted to pursue a career in the web
development field, but it also showed him
he was interested in working at a university.
Getting exposure into cross-department
planning gave Jain a clear view into university
operations. He learned how departments
work together to make everything function.
“I learned so many things about working for
a university, and I really like how I could
play an important role in it all.”
As graduation approached, a full-time web
development position with Student Affairs
Publications opened up and he applied for
the position. “Fortunately for me, everything
worked out, and I started working as the full-
time web developer. I couldn’t be happier,”
Jain said. Jain felt more prepared heading
into the working world because he had
already been given real-world scenarios and
challenges during his UPIC experience. “If I
had not had a UPIC internship, I would not
have been able to get here today,” Jain said.
“A big ‘thank you’ to the UPIC program for
helping me become successful and get a
job after graduation.”
17
UPICMENTOR Julie Vidotto
18
Many mentors in the UPIC program know
first-hand how great internships can shape
the trajectory of a career path, and use their
own experiences to provide a solid foundation
and direction for their students. Julie Vidotto,
UPIC mentor and director of Clemson
University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
(OLLI), says she hopes to pass on the same
kind of learning experience she had in her
internships.
When Vidotto was named the director of
the OLLI in 2014, her first priority was
to set up an internship program within
the 1,000-member continuing education
program. She began in the museum and
public garden career fields but said she had
many internships over the course of her career
path, which led her to educational leadership.
Through her journey, she learned internships
could have a positive impact not only on the
student, but the organization as a whole. “I
knew what kind of benefit a good internship
program could be, so as soon as I got here,
I started asking about internships,” Vidotto
said. “Interns that come in here [to the OLLI]
get a true, real-world experience.”
Vidotto believes that good internships begin
with real accountability from the moment an
intern walks through the door. “When people
walk out of here the first day, they have done
things of value,” Vidotto explained. Working
at the OLLI, interns have the same amount
of responsibility as any other full-time staff
member, and interns are expected to seek
out their own personal projects and goals
to contribute to the organization. Vidotto
explains mentorship to her is about giving
students space to take risks and try things on
their own. “I think that a mentor is available
but not a helicopter. They provide structure
into which someone can explore what it is
they want to do and provide resources for
them, so they can make it happen.” Vidotto
encourages interns to think about how their
work can contribute to the organization in a
way that makes it better.
Over the years, UPIC interns have made
significant contributions at the OLLI under
Vidotto’s leadership. With room to learn and
grow, UPIC interns have produced impactful
projects that contributed to the continued
success of the OLLI. “The benefit UPIC
interns bring to OLLI is everything. They bring
true improvement, creating real products and
programs that move us forward in a way that
we would not have been able to without our
interns,” Vidotto said. Interns challenge the
OLLI to continue developing into a better
organization and never cease to ask questions.
Working closely with interns has aided in
Vidotto’s growth as a professional as well.
“The interns give me energy that kicks me
into gear. Having them around excites me
all over again about the work I am doing,”
Vidotto said. “They teach me so much about
myself, and I am constantly impressed with
the work they do, especially because most
of what they do is outside of my expertise.”
Having a UPIC internship with the OLLI is
not only a useful experience for students,
but it has also become an essential aspect of
growth in Vidotto’s vision for the OLLI. “UPIC
interns hit the ground running, and they have
done amazing things for us. We are a better,
tighter, more responsive, more professional
organization because of them.”
“They teach me so much about myself, and I am constantly impressed with the work they do especially because most of what they do is outside of my expertise.”
19
UPICMENTOR Brian Callahan
20
UPIC mentors are challenged to find and
foster potential in their student interns. For
Clemson alumnus Brian Callahan, being a
UPIC mentor means giving students the same
kind of opportunities he had in college that
helped make him successful in his career.
Callahan knows firsthand how important
college internships can be. Callahan interned
with Clemson Cooperative Extension when
he was a student at Clemson. His internship
with Cooperative Extension not only shaped
what he wanted to do after graduation, but
also led to his first post-graduation job. Since
then, Callahan has continued to advance
at Cooperative Extension and now serves as
the associate director. “It all started with my
college internship,” said Callahan.
Having this perspective has influenced how
Callahan approaches his role as a UPIC
mentor. “It’s a good opportunity for me to
give wisdom and share from the experiences
I have picked up. I feel I have a unique
perspective and some advice to give because
I was once a Clemson student and also an
intern,” Callahan said.
He also said he wastes no time in making
internships as valuable as possible for his
UPIC interns. At the start of each internship,
he sits down with every intern to find what
they are most passionate about. From there,
Callahan sets up times for the students
to shadow a professional who is working
in their area of interest, and he creates
special projects for the students to work on
throughout their internship. “We try to find
what our students are really good at and
what they’re most passionate about, and
that’s what we try to get them working on,”
Callahan said.
For Callahan, helping students figure out
their passions is the most rewarding aspect
of his role as a UPIC mentor. “I love seeing
students succeed and learn outside the
classroom. I love to watch them go on and
be successful,” he said. Callahan seeks to
help students channel their interests and
passions when thinking about future career
opportunities — many of them, he hopes,
will find those opportunities in positions
working for Cooperative Extension. Clemson
Cooperative Extension has hired several UPIC
interns over the past few years for full-time
positions, and they look forward to adding to
that number each year. Callahan shared, “I
want my students to learn about the Extension
program, and I want them to learn about what
we do. For many of them, this internship is
an audition. And they may work for us one
day, and I want them to know what exactly
we do and how they might fit in here.”
Working with so many students over the years
has showed Callahan that his students are not
the only ones growing — he too has learned
from being a mentor. He said he’s learned
how to be a better leader and a better worker
throughout this process. “I have become a
better listener,” Callahan said. “All of my
students have been so diverse, and I have
learned that you can’t communicate with
them all the same way. There are multiple
ways of communicating and some of those
are better for different individuals. So, my
interns are helping me too. They just may
not know it.”
“I love seeing students succeed and learn outside the classroom. I love to watch them go on and be successful.”
21
UPICMENTOR Lisa Robinson
22
Mentors have the unique opportunity to
impact the professional development of
Clemson students in a profound way. This
opportunity is something a growing number
of University staff members are able to
experience every semester. UPIC mentors
like Lisa Robinson enjoy the chance to
challenge their students and help them
find their passions.
Robinson, the assistant director of Clemson’s
University Professional Internship/Co-op
(UPIC) program, deeply values her time as
a mentor. Being a UPIC staff member and
also a UPIC mentor has given Robinson an
exclusive perspective into the program. For
Robinson, being a UPIC mentor is about
embodying the program’s vision and purpose.
No one knows the expectations of being a
mentor better than Robinson, who plays an
important role in the operations of UPIC
and the interactions between mentors and
students. “We hope that the mentor-student
relationship will be a strong relationship that
will really foster the growth of our students,”
Robinson explained. “As a mentor, you
interact with students on a professional and
personal level. Hopefully, those relationships
will continue on into the student’s
professional careers.”
Supervising her own UPIC interns also
keeps Robinson connected to the program.
Being a mentor in the program is special for
Robinson because she is able to get to know
the students on an intentional level and help
them succeed. “The most rewarding aspect of
being a mentor is definitely seeing the growth
of the students ... it is really nice to see them
get comfortable in their professional abilities
and to stretch themselves,” Robinson said. To
help her students grow into better employees,
Robinson gives her interns tasks that
challenge them to think critically and become
better problem solvers. To Robinson, the UPIC
program fosters a sense of responsibility in
students by giving them tangible, University-
related assignments. “One of the things that
is really unique about the UPIC program
is the fact that we give the students the
responsibility to do as much as they can at a
professional level,” Robinson said.
The end goal for Robinson as a UPIC mentor
is to leave her students feeling confident in
themselves as they move on after graduation,
whether that be continuing their education
in graduate school or beginning their
professional careers. “It is so nice to see,
when they come in initially, they are not sure
what is going to be expected of them or if
they will be able to do it. By the time you
see them finish and graduate they are feeling
confident in their capabilities. You can just
see the change on their face,” Robinson said.
She enjoys nothing more than seeing her
students grow and change over the course
of their rotations with the UPIC program.
Robinson is still in contact with many of
her past interns today, keeping up with their
continued success post-graduation. She
says it’s important to provide the necessary
resources for a student’s success. “That is
ultimately what it is all about, preparing them
for the real world. I strive to create a caring
environment that allows each intern to reach
their full potential,” said Robinson.
“As a mentor, you interact with students on a professional and personal level. Hopefully those relationships will continue on into the student’s professional careers.”
23
UPICMENTOR Ashley Hall
24
“I’m so thankful for the opportunity to do something I love and to share my experience with others.”
Sometimes a UPIC intern has the unique
opportunity to work for the University they
have come to know and love and become
a UPIC mentor, sharing their own UPIC
experience with students. For Ashley Hall,
UPIC mentor and communications coordinator
of Student Affairs Publications, the journey
toward becoming a mentor gave her the
chance to share in the UPIC experience from
both a mentor and a student’s perspective.
As an English major with an emphasis in
Writing and Publication Studies, Hall began
her internship career in fall 2013 with
Student Affairs Publications. What started
out as a class-credit position soon turned
into a paid UPIC internship. Working as a
UPIC intern for four successful semesters
(the last of which, as the managing intern
while her mentor was on maternity leave)
would ultimately evolve into her first, full-time
position as a writer for the University and
as a mentor in the UPIC program. Hall said
through her UPIC internship with Student
Affairs Publications, she was able to see for
the first time how her work expanded her
knowledge outside of the classroom. “[My
internship] very much prepared me for the
future ... it was amazing to see how my
classwork integrated with what I was learning
in my job. I was also learning things in my
internship I didn’t learn in the classroom,”
Hall said.
After four semesters with Student Affairs
Publications, Hall wanted to write for a
different department at Clemson to gain
more perspectives and skills in writing and
publication. She took another UPIC internship
with Inside Clemson in spring 2015. Hall said
both of her UPIC internships prepared her for
the future position she didn’t know was just
around the corner.
Before the spring semester finished, Hall
learned her former mentor with Student
Affairs Publications had accepted another
position outside of the University. With
just a few months left before graduation,
Hall chose to apply for the vacant position.
After a thorough application and interview
process, she was offered the position as
communications coordinator and transitioned
from student intern to University staff and
UPIC mentor in fall 2015. “It’s definitely
different being on the flip-side of things,”
Hall said. “I’m still doing all the same
things I did as an intern except with added
responsibility. It took me a few months to
get acclimated, going from intern-mode to
supervisor-mode, but I’m so thankful for the
opportunity to do something I love and to
share my experience with others.”
For Hall, being a UPIC mentor is about
sharing not only in experience, but also
the knowledge and resources she gained
in her own internships. Hall is able to help
her students because she has been in their
position before. “Being a UPIC mentor is
making sure you share with your students
what you’ve learned and what they can use in
their professional careers later on,” Hall said.
To keep students focused, Hall is quick to
share articles, career advice and learning
outlets with her interns, making sure she is
capitalizing on the teachable moments that
come along with being in the UPIC program.
“I have learned I’m here to teach more
than I’m here to be a boss. I want to make
sure that whatever I’m doing, my interns
are learning. I try to continually encourage
my students to do their best and to keep
learning.”
Hall serves as an example of how the UPIC
program prepares, equips and helps students
become successful after graduation. She
is now able to use that success to guide
students along their own paths.
25
(The contents of this interview have been edited and condensed for clarity and length.)
Intern Experience:
Matthew: What made you want to do this
particular internship?
Savannah: I was looking for a job to stay
in Clemson for the summer. Last summer,
I had the opportunity to be an Orientation
Ambassador. I was interested in holding
a position where I could be on the other
side of Orientation and get a better idea
of what the adviser’s role is in the process.
I really enjoyed getting to meet and help
new students and families.
Matthew: Is there something in this experience
you’ve learned but didn’t expect to learn?
Savannah: I’ve learned more about the adviser
role, and working with the advisers; I see they
actually care about their students and do
more than class schedules. They are much
more involved with all aspects of a student’s
life and experiences.
Matthew: What has this internship taught
you about leadership?
Savannah: It’s taught me that sometimes
you’re going to have to take the lead on
things, even if you’re not super comfortable
or sure in the direction it’s going. With some
of my projects, I was given open instructions
or a concept, and I made that into a concrete
tangible project.
Matthew: What has it meant to you to have
this experience while in college?
Savannah: It has meant a lot. I get to be a
part of Clemson and a part of these students’
experiences at Clemson. I get to network with
a lot with advisers and professors throughout
the Orientation process. I feel like I have left
my mark on Clemson, and that’s the best
feeling going into my final year.
Matthew: What’s next for you?
Savannah: I am going into my senior year and
applying to nursing school. At the beginning
of the summer I was wondering how this
internship would connect to nursing. When
you do undeclared advising, you are helping
students in a very similar way as nursing,
learning communication skills and how to
help others.
Mentor Experience:
Savannah: Describe what it means to be a
UPIC mentor.
Matthew: I think being a UPIC mentor is a
lot different than being a regular supervisor
simply because, with the UPIC internship, the
student is specifically looking for job-ready
Matthew KirkMentor
Mentor and Intern
experiences, not just earning money. But I
think, outside of that, we [mentors] look at
what they [students] want to get out of this
experience. Mentors have the responsibility
of modeling the way and what it means to
be a good professional and colleague. We
are giving students the experiences that will
make them successful in any profession they
choose.
Savannah: Why do you think internships
are important?
Matthew: When I graduated college and
started my first, full-time job, I had never
done an internship. I had never worked
professionally in an office setting. I made
so many mistakes. I do think it gives you
[students] a taste for what it means to work
professionally, and my goal was to never
have you wonder — am I just a helping hand
around the office? At an internship, you are
held, or should be held, to a higher level of
expectations and accountability to mirror
what an actual job would be like.
Savannah: How do you make this internship
as much like the real world as possible?
Matthew: To treat you like a colleague, to
make sure that you know the team. We never
ask you to do something we aren’t willing to
do ourselves. We invite you and encourage you
to be involved. You bring a new perspective
and we want you to know you have the
opportunity to share your opinions and be
respected, etc.
Savannah: What benefit do UPIC interns bring
to your office?
Matthew: I literally do not know what we would
have done without Savannah this summer.
One project Savannah helped with was a
binder of first-year curriculum to help guide
undeclared students. It’s been so helpful
with Orientation this summer. It made it so
much easier to help students come up with
individualized plans. The observations and
projects she’s done have been beyond helpful,
and it helped so much talking to parents and
students in Orientation and comforting them
in the process.
Savannah: What’s next for you?
Matthew: Well, there’s a lot of change coming
to our office with cross-college advising. We
are doing it in pieces; we have already started.
Formalizing that process is our goal as an
office. Personally, I already have a master’s
degree in student affairs, and I am working
on my second master’s degree in clinical
mental health counseling. I think it will add
another great lens to the work I do here with
my students. Savannah HendersonIntern
Clemson University’s UPIC internships have
many benefits for all who are involved in the
process: students, mentors, departments and
the University. For the students, in particular,
internships can open up new possibilities
and opportunities for gaining a different
kind of educational experience outside of a
classroom setting before graduation. They
can help a student learn valuable knowledge
in their industry, accumulate résumé-worthy
competencies and even help them decide
if a career path is right for them. Having
a résumé, and often an accompanying
portfolio, loaded with skills and abilities
before graduation will allow a student to
stand out among the competition. In addition,
internships in the UPIC program offer a
wealth of opportunity and they help transition
students to the workforce after graduation.
Not all internships are the same. Some are
within driving distance for students and some
are farther off campus, allowing for only
THEPOWEROFINTERNSHIP
28
summer employment options. Some are paid
and some are not. Providing paid, on-campus
internships makes Clemson’s UPIC program
even more unique. According to associate
director of the UPIC program, Dr. Caren
Kelley-Hall, “UPIC has become a
national model for on-campus internship
programming.” With positions offered all
across campus and in varying departments,
students are able to reduce travel time and
increase actual time on the job, while earning
an income. They are given the opportunity
to gain experience in their chosen major
or career field and obtain knowledge from
coworkers and their supervisor, a UPIC mentor
from their department.
Working with a mentor is another advantage
for students in the UPIC program. Much
like a student’s academic adviser, a mentor
gives advice and helps students navigate
through varying processes. In a professional
setting, however, mentors in the workplace
also provide additional bits of wisdom
and knowledge that only come with years
of experience. Students get a different
perspective on how their industry works
and gain insight through hands-on training.
Throughout the five years of the UPIC
“I am thankful for the opportunity to have gained so much leadership experience in this job. I was allowed to have self-agency and be creative in making decisions. I really got a chance to prove myself and show what I am capable of producing.” — fall 2016 UPIC intern
program, student interns have shared how
their relationship with their UPIC mentor was
the most valuable aspect of their internship.
The UPIC program brings the power of
internships to Clemson students, providing
a chance to flex the skills they’ve learned in
the classroom. At the same time, students are
able to gain valuable experience and receive
structured guidance from veterans in their
chosen industry.
29
UPICINTERN Joey Wilson
30
A UPIC internship can be more than just a
job or another item on a résumé — it can
be an opportunity for students to pursue
their passions beyond their studies. For
senior bioengineering major and current
Clemson University Undergraduate Student
Government (CUSG) Student Body President,
Joey Wilson, the UPIC program allowed him
to turn his volunteer time with the Office of
Access and Equity into an internship.
Wilson’s interest in raising awareness about
sexual assault prevention originally led him
to volunteer with the Office of Access and
Equity. When his service on campus turned
into a paid internship, Wilson said, “For
me, it was never about making any money. I
started out as just a volunteer because I was
passionate about this aspect of student life.
It’s really about doing something that I love.”
Working in the Office of Access and Equity
allowed Wilson to learn the value of good
communication. He was able to see how
dedication and good communication have to
go hand-in-hand before change can happen.
Wilson spent much of his time collaborating
with volunteers and other staff members.
Having an engaging environment is essential
when everyone is working to achieve a shared
vision. “Collaboration and communication
are key in any job. In our workplace, we are
all equal; we work together, and we all try to
support each other,” Wilson said.
This communication and collaboration
played a big part in a large program focused
on sexual assault. Working together with
other staff members, volunteers and with
his mentor, Megan Fallon, Wilson was able
to help bring former United States Vice
President Joe Biden to campus to speak about
“It’s On Us,” a campaign for the prevention
of sexual assault on college campuses. In
Clemson, Biden raised more awareness about
“It’s On Us” and the steps the University has
taken to raise awareness about sexual assault
prevention. “This was big — we are planning
for a better future for our campus. It was
definitely my favorite thing we’ve done so far,”
Wilson said.
Working closely with his mentor throughout
the internship process gave Wilson
opportunities he wouldn’t have had as a
volunteer. Fallon helped him go beyond
the fundamentals and taught him a lot
about himself throughout the course of his
internship. Wilson said Fallon’s teaching
reaches beyond the workplace. “My mentor
has taught me about believing in myself and
my passions,” Wilson said. “She’s taught me
what it means to truly be an advocate and
knowing how to fight for people you don’t
necessarily know.” Truly caring about his work
has made Wilson’s UPIC internship so much
more rewarding, as he sees the difference
he has made through his job and has helped
ensure students at Clemson feel safer and can
better enjoy their time in college.
“Collaboration and communication are key in any job. In our workplace we are all equal, we work together and we all try to support each other. ”
Wilson has gained a unique perspective on
what it is like to have a UPIC internship. As
CUSG Student Body President and someone
who is extremely involved on campus, Wilson
considers his UPIC internship to be one of
the best ways for him to stay engaged. Wilson
said the UPIC program has helped enhance
his time at Clemson and also prepared him
for the future at the same time. “College is
about learning in the classroom, but another
really important aspect is making connections
and learning to do real work. My internship
allowed me to meet and get to know so many
people, including faculty, I would have never
met unless I had taken advantage of this
opportunity,” Wilson said.
31
UPICINTERN Sarah Dorsey
32
Internship opportunities can sometimes come
about in unexpected ways. This was especially
true for rising sophomore biosystems
engineering major Sarah Dorsey, whose UPIC
internship was an unforeseen opportunity she
was able to pursue.
Dorsey was looking to expand her classroom
learning by making use of the Campus
Lighting and Imaging Facility (CLIF),
which serves as an invaluable resource for
students pursuing science-related majors.
When inquiring about using the facilities at
the CLIF, Dorsey was approached about an
unexpected job opening as an intern in the
UPIC program. Dorsey, a second-semester,
first-year student at the time, jumped at the
opportunity, “I never really expected to do
an internship, but when the opportunity
was there, I took it,” she said.
Dorsey’s work at the CLIF has provided
her with a more holistic idea of working,
challenging her to try new things outside of
her chosen curriculum. In her position, she
not only works in the lab, taking pictures of
samples and doing regular lab maintenance,
but she has also learned how to make, design
and create posters and brochures using
Adobe® InDesign®, a software program not
typically utilized by students with a science-
focused major. Exploring this new avenue
of learning helped Dorsey realize an artistic
“It’s nice because I am still a student, but I’m able to get the benefits of working in a professional setting, so I’m able to get a feeling of what that’s like and just get a lot of real-world experience while I’m in college.”
side and creativity that was waiting to be
discovered.
Adobe InDesign is just one component of
the technology Dorsey has used in her UPIC
internship with the CLIF. “I’ve been able
to learn a lot of technology; we are always
using it,” Dorsey said. She explained twelve
different models of microscopes they use in
the labs function with the use of computer
software. Learning to work the microscopes
has been Dorsey’s favorite aspect of her
internship so far. “I just never thought I
would have the opportunity to work with
microscopes, but now I work with them
daily. I love it, it’s really fun,” she said.
As an intern in the CLIF, Dorsey has
frequently collaborated with other interns and
her mentor to learn the microscope software,
tackle new projects and give tours of the
facility. Working in a team environment on the
same level with her mentor and other interns
gave Dorsey new perspectives and confidence.
This kind of environment expanded Dorsey’s
experience and learning in positive work
interactions and set the tone for her to create
a healthy work environment for
future positions.
Dorsey gained valuable direction and
affirmation about her future at an early stage
in her college journey by being a part of UPIC.
The opportunity to work in a functioning
laboratory setting also affirmed her interest
in biology and even helped her determine
she wants to continue working in a lab
after college. “It’s nice because I am still a
student, but I’m able to get the benefits of
working in a professional setting, so I’m able
to get a feeling of what that’s like and just get
a lot of real-world experience,” Dorsey said.
33
UPICINTERN Curtis Beck
34
UPIC internships are designed to leave
students feeling prepared, accomplished
and confident heading toward graduation.
For senior mechanical engineering major
Curtis Beck, having two years of UPIC
experience has equipped him with the
knowledge, skills and confidence to be
successful when he starts his career after
graduation.
Beck worked as an intern on the mobile
communication team under UPIC mentor
Sam Hoover with Clemson University’s
Software and Development Integration
(SDI). Beck’s position required him to use
and establish technical skills he didn’t
have before. “I’m not a developer, but
I would say that I have learned quite a
bit for an inexperienced person as far as
learning coding languages and databases
go,” said Beck. “I have learned a bunch
of different computer science topics that
I did not have prior experience with.” The
opportunity to gain technical experience has
broadened Beck’s qualifications for a career
in mechanical engineering. “This internship
made me aware of the technical skills I have
developed in mechanical engineering to fulfill
any number of position requirements in the
field. There’s more in the field that I can
do now,” Beck said.
Being able to work on and learn new tasks
in his internship has given Beck a sense
of accomplishment. In his position, Beck
is involved with diverse projects and works
with a number of different team members,
departments and companies. “I think the
diversity in tasks I accomplish has been my
favorite aspect of the internship,” said Beck.
“I have learned to balance independent
work and working on a team, and it has been
beneficial for me to have experience working
on a team with multi-disciplinary engineers.”
Getting this background in a working
environment helped Beck grow his leadership
skills. Beck’s mentor, Sam Hoover, gave him
a good leadership example. “My mentor has
taught me that leadership is about finding a
balance between giving independence and
encouraging teamwork in the workplace,”
Beck said. Hoover plays a vital part in Beck’s
independent work ethic and confidence by
not giving him explicit answers to problems.
Hoover gives Beck direction, but also the
freedom to figure out problems for himself,
allowing him to become more self-motivated
and sure of his abilities.
Beck said his UPIC internship experience
has given him a sense of accomplishment
as he approaches graduation. His position
has provided him with a real-world education
outside of the classroom and personal growth
in professional development. “My internship
has given me phenomenal professional
experience that is contributing to my future,”
said Beck. “I am currently pursuing a career
in mechanical engineering, hoping to one
day become an engineering manager. I feel
confident and very much ready to go into
a professional career because of the UPIC
program.”
“My mentor has taught me that leadership is about finding a balance between giving independence and encouraging teamwork in the workplace.”
35
UPICINTERN Erin Hughes
36
A UPIC internship provides more than just
valuable work experience for students, it also
creates an opportunity for students to work
closely with faculty and staff and develop a
mentor-to-student relationship. This aspect
of UPIC is something senior biosystems
engineering major Erin Hughes has found to
be invaluable in her internship.
Hughes, who worked as a sustainability
intern with Healthy Campus, formed a strong
relationship with her mentor, Jennifer Goree,
director of Healthy Campus. “For me, it’s
about having a mentorship,” Hughes said.
Hughes first met Goree in a sustainability
leadership class Goree was teaching.
Learning from and getting to know Goree
has been a huge resource for Hughes.“I
feel really lucky to have Goree as my
mentor,” explained Hughes. “She is
incredibly inspiring ... she’s really just a
tremendous resource to me for learning
about sustainability in the community, at
Clemson University and abroad for a more
global perspective.” As an engineering major,
Hughes was strongly encouraged to find an
internship before walking across the stage at
graduation. Interning with Healthy Campus
on sustainability may not have seemed like
a typical engineering internship at first,
but Hughes was able to see how it would
shape her future plans. “I really enjoy doing
sustainability work at Clemson. It helps me
apply my skills and my interests together,
so that I can do something really great,”
Hughes said.
Watching her mentor lead by example also
taught Hughes a lot about leadership. “I
learned the best thing a leader can do is
give their group room to think for themselves
because that’s how my mentor leads me,”
Hughes said. “Thinking for myself and
problem solving is my job description; it
is everything that I do. I have to figure out
the problem and where to go from there,”
Hughes said.
Having room to be independent in her work
naturally forced Hughes to learn different
skill sets outside of engineering. One of the
projects Hughes worked on in her position
was putting together a flipbook for Clemson’s
sustainability minor. From creating the
flipbook to figuring out distribution, Hughes
was able to see the project through from
beginning to end. Projects like this led
Hughes to learn skills outside of her area
of study such as working with the Adobe
“Thinking for myself and problem solving is my job description; it is everything I do. I have to figure out the problem and where to go from there.”
Creative Cloud® and learning the basics of
both graphic design and marketing skills.
Stepping out of her comfort zone and
acquiring these new skills not only broadened
Hughes’ knowledge base, but also gave her a
tangible representation of learning outside of
the classroom that she will be able to carry
into her future career. Hughes said her UPIC
internship had an impact on her career goals
and encouraged her to go to graduate school.
“I’m thinking about possibly sustainability
education or getting a doctorate degree in
business engineering and sustainability to
work for a large sustainability corporation
one day,” Hughes said.
37
UPICINTERN Nicole Dunne
38
“I strongly believe you learn by doing. While classroom knowledge is important, it’s even more important to put that knowledge into action and see how it comes into play in a work setting.”
UPIC internships prepare and develop
students to become successful after college,
but some students reap the benefits before
they even walk across the stage. For senior
marketing major Nicole Dunne, the chance to
be a marketing intern for the UPIC office not
only equipped her with the skills she will use
in her career after graduation, but also made
her a stand-out candidate for a high-profile
summer internship.
Dunne’s internship with the UPIC office gave
her the opportunity to learn a variety of skills
and abilities vital to the marketing industry,
which helped her get hired as a summer
intern for USA Today. The variation in her day-
to-day responsibilities allowed her to develop
skills in event planning, administration,
promotion and marketing, and social media
content creation. In addition, she gained
valuable experience working with programs
like Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop®.
“I have gotten a lot of experience working
with programs in the Adobe Creative Suite.
That exposure actually helped me land a
summer internship with USA Today,” Dunne
said. She also believes it benefited her to
build upon these skills in an out-of-classroom
setting. “I strongly believe you learn by doing.
While classroom knowledge is important, it’s
even more important to put knowledge into
action and see how it comes into play in a
work setting.”
The interpersonal skills Dunne learned from
working in her UPIC position gave her a
chance to adapt and succeed quickly in a new
work environment. “I never expected to learn
professional development and accountability
this early in college ... it was nice having
background knowledge about how to work and
present yourself in an office when I interned
with USA Today,” Dunne said.
Dunne’s relationship with her UPIC mentor,
Lisa Robinson, has been an important
resource throughout her UPIC journey. “I
came into this position seeing her more as
my boss, but now I really do see her as my
mentor,” Dunne said. “She’s been there every
step of the way, and I’ve learned a lot from
her.”
Robinson helped Dunne succeed
professionally and academically and provided
her with a lot of career advice. Dunne said
Robinson went out of her way to help her
with her written communication skills, and on
many occasions, gave Dunne mock interviews
to prepare for job opportunities. “She has
been amazing, from reviewing my work to
providing constructive criticism. Because of
that, I have grown so much professionally,”
Dunne said.
Dunne knows her experiences as an intern
and the support of her mentor have already
aided in her success. “I am a huge advocate
for the UPIC program, and I know firsthand
how it is really preparing students for their
futures,” she said. “It has made all the
difference to have this professional experience
in college.”
39
UPICINTERN Brianna Berry
40
Utilizing the UPIC program early can give
students several years of professional work
experience before heading into the workforce
after graduation. Not only does this give
students an advantage when looking for jobs,
but it also gives them a sense of assurance
in their ability to be ready and be successful
when starting their careers after college.
A senior management major, Brianna Berry,
began her UPIC journey as an intern with
Clemson University’s Student Affairs Business
Operations (SABO) during her sophomore
year. Berry now works as a Human Resources
intern for the Students Teaching Academic
Responsibility (STAR) program. “I think for
me, being in the [UPIC] program for several
years has shown me what I can really get out
of the program,” Berry said.
Berry says her internships with UPIC made a
huge impact on her career decisions. Berry
always knew she wanted to work in human
resources, which is an area of emphasis
in her major. The UPIC program expanded
her interest in this field, and gave her
further insight into a broad range of career
opportunities. “There’s just so much you can
do in human resources. For me, in my first job
outside of college, I know it will be something
I truly could enjoy and be successful in
simply because I have already been able
to figure that out through several years of
work experience,” Berry said. Berry says her
very first internship with the UPIC program
helped her discover an interest in working
specifically with college students. Having an
internship in a professional, university setting
only reaffirmed Berry’s new-found aspirations.
“Working alongside people at the university
level, and seeing what it looks like to work
for a university, has been really huge for me,”
Berry explained. “In fact, my internships have
inspired and directed my motivation for going
to graduate school and pursuing a master’s
degree in student affairs.”
Throughout her time in the UPIC program,
Berry can see how much she has changed
and developed, gaining essential leadership
and communication skills by completing
assignments both independently and with
coworkers. Berry has held full-time and
part-time internships with UPIC, giving her
a variety of challenges that come along with
juggling work and school. She says time
management is one of the biggest and most
important lessons she learned while working
in the UPIC program. “I learned that truly
every minute of my day counts, and none of it
“In fact, my internships have inspired and directed my motivation for going to graduate school and pursuing a master’s degree in student affairs.”
can be wasted,” Berry said. “ It took failing a
few times to understand how to schedule and
use my planner to help me create a balanced
life. But I learned to use my most productive
times to their full potential and that helped
me manage it all.”
Having multiple UPIC internships not
only gave Berry the advantage of having
professional work experience, but also gave
her confidence and valuable insight into her
career interests and aspirations.
41
UPICINTERN Mason Hill
42
The UPIC program provides students with
opportunities not only to gain experience,
but also to discover issues they care about.
It wasn’t until Mason Hill, a senior special
education major, began his UPIC internship
as an admissions representative that he truly
found he loved helping students prepare for
college and life after college.
“I always knew my passion was helping
others, but I needed this internship to help
me see that the people I am most passionate
about helping are college-aged,” Hill said. A
member of the Call Me MISTER® program,
Hill began his experience first through a co-op
position with the Admissions Office in Sikes
Hall. From there, he was given the opportunity
to continue as a UPIC intern. “I like helping
students get ready for college or to prepare
for the real world and life after college.
These passions showed me I want to go into
graduate school,” Hill said.
In Hill’s UPIC internship position, he traveled
as a representative of Clemson University to
high schools and other college events along
the east coast to talk to students and their
families about the admissions process and
how to prepare for college. Hill traveled to
places in South Carolina, North Carolina,
Georgia and Florida. In fall 2016, he went as
far as Maryland. “Traveling has, by far, been
my favorite aspect of my internship. Not only
do I get to see and explore new places, but I
also get to do what I love,” Hill said.
Traveling gave Hill a strong sense of
independence and the ability to think
critically about the tasks he was assigned.
Hill was responsible for promoting Clemson
to each student and family he met. “Traveling
has taught me to be quick on my feet. I never
know what students or parents are going to
ask me, and I have to make sure whatever
I say is going to be a good reflection of
Clemson,” Mason explained.
When Hill was not traveling for his position,
he was working in Clemson’s Admissions
Office located in Sikes Hall with other staff
members and student interns. Because
the office was so team-oriented, Hill honed
key leadership skills from leading projects
to giving informational presentations to
prospective students. Working in an office
environment that fostered and encouraged
teamwork helped Hill with essential
networking skills by connecting with students
and staff. “Working in Sikes has been so
resourceful to me in networking with people.
I’m seeing and getting to know people like
Clemson’s President, Jim Clements, Chief
of Staff, Max Allen, and now, Chief Diversity
Officer, Lee Gill, on a regular basis. Hill’s
mentor, Bonnie Duncan, a Clemson University
admissions counselor, also played an
important role in the networking process.
“My mentor has opened so many avenues for
me by introducing me to people and helping
me network with them,” Hill said.
Hill’s UPIC experience gave him a wealth
of resources and personal growth. However,
more than anything, it helped guide his future
career goals. “After this internship, I know
I want to go to graduate school because it
has inspired me to begin a career in higher
education,” Hill said.
“I always knew my passion was helping others, but I needed this internship to help me see that the people I am most passionate about helping are college-aged.”
43
UPICINTERN Jonah Robison
44
UPIC internships help students navigate their
career options, presenting them with a wide
range of real-life professional opportunities.
For students like Jonah Robison, an intern
with the Clemson Lighting and Imaging
Facility (CLIF), UPIC internships have even
changed the trajectory of their career paths.
Robison has been an intern with the CLIF
for several semesters, eventually moving into
a position as the office’s print and social
media coordinator. As a bioengineering major
with a minor in economics, Robison saw
this internship as an opportunity to learn a
different aspect of his field. Throughout his
time in the CLIF, Robison has learned there
is more to do with his major than working
in a laboratory all day and said he is glad to
experience the more business-oriented work
related to his major. “This internship has
helped me know I want to be involved with
the business aspect of science. I really enjoy
working with people instead of being in a lab
all day,” Robinson said.
Working in the CLIF office gave Robison an
opportunity to work in an office setting and
gain professional experience, which included
creating marketing materials using programs
in the Adobe Creative Suite. Robison also
collaborated with a team of interns on larger
projects such as planning contests and
symposiums. His position evolved into more
of a leadership role after working at the CLIF
for multiple rotations. “As the oldest intern
here, a lot of the responsibility falls on my
lap; there is a lot of delegation [going] on
between me and the other interns,” Robison
explained. “I am learning what it is like
to hold myself and other team members
accountable for getting jobs done well and on
time.”
“This internship has helped me know I want to be involved with the business aspect of science. I really enjoy working with people instead of being in a lab all day.”
Within his position, Robison was responsible
for creating marketing strategies on his own,
helping him gain a sense of independence.
Having honed both team and individual work
skills, Robison has become a well-rounded
professional. His UPIC experience has not
only helped shape his career aspirations, it
has also made him confident in making new
goals. “I think if you do not have the chance
to do an internship like I did, then you are
going to be thrown into things. For me, I
feel that I can be successful in any work
environment because I have learned to adapt
so well,” Robison said.
45
UPICINTERNS Edward Stello and Brett Kelly
46
“I have learned you don’t need a title to be a leader; there will always be times when you will need to step up to the plate.”
UPIC internships can forge new relationships
and open up unique opportunities for
students. For UPIC interns Brett Kelly and
Edward Stello, the opportunity came in the
form of collaboration.
Both Kelly and Stello are fisheries tech interns
for the Wildlife and Fisheries department
at the Clemson office of the South Carolina
Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
This field-based position allows them to be
hands-on with a lot of specified technologies.
Beginning with early mornings in the lab
and on to afternoons out in the streams,
Kelly and Stello gave visual surveys of water,
tagged fish, collected data and mastered
electrofishing. The department’s partnership
with the DNR provides UPIC interns with
professional-level experience directly in the
field. Stello explained, “We partner with
the DNR and help with their statewide river
assessments. We use the same tools as DNR
employees, so it’s a great experience.”
Collaborating with the DNR has given UPIC
interns more than just real-life experience; it
has given them a place to network and make
connections. “I get to meet lots of people I
could potentially work with in the future or
use as references. The contacts I’m getting
can only help me in the future,” Stello said.
Stello and Kelly’s mentor, Dr. Yoichiro
Kanno, has been active in helping them
make valuable connections throughout the
process. “He has introduced me and other
interns to so many people. He stressed the
importance of getting to know as many people
as possible because the fisheries department
nationwide is very small, and it can be very
beneficial to get to know people,” Kelly said.
Kanno has played a vital role in their training
throughout the process. “He has been very
informative and very helpful to me throughout
this process,” Kelly said. “He has definitely
helped me grow into a better professional.”
Working in a field-based position, Kelly
and Stello did not expect to learn so much
about communication and leadership skills.
However, both of them see how each are
incorporated in their everyday work life.
“Communication is so important in my job,”
Kelly said. “We are constantly changing
meeting times and reworking our schedules.
We have to communicate or nothing would
ever get done.” Stello also explains how
communication is important when working
out in the field. “Communication is a must
in all aspects of my job, but especially when
we are out in the streams. We have to know
where everyone is at all times to stay as safe
as possible,” Stello said.
Working in a group and working with each
other created a natural progression of
leadership skills for Stello and Kelly. “This
internship has taught me a lot about what
it means to be a leader. It has taught me
leadership is an important part of any job,
even if you don’t think it is,” Kelly said. “I
have learned you don’t need a title to be a
leader; there will always be times when you
will need to step up to the plate.”
Through his internship with UPIC, Kelly has
been reassured about his future aspirations
and career goals. “This program has been
so beneficial to me; it has taught me true
responsibility and skills that will help me be
successful in my next phase of life, whether
that is graduate school or starting a career.
The work I have been a part of makes me
want to continue down this path I have
started. I hope to continue helping conserve
and preserve our nation’s freshwater fisheries
in my future,” Kelly said.
47
UPICINTERN Scott Groel
48
One of they ways UPIC interns have an
advantage over other college graduates is the
experience they have gained from learning
and working with career-focused, state-of-the-
art technologies. For Scott Groel, a computer
engineering major from Roxbury, N.J., working
with new technologies has been invaluable to
his college experience.
As an intern for Clemson’s Advanced
Computing Infrastructure (ACI) program under
Dr. K.C. Wang, Groel said the benefits of
being introduced to top-of-the-line technology
in his field taught him a variety of skills
such as preforming diagnostics and repairs,
tracking jobs, and setting up and configuring
equipment. “Our entire internship program
revolves around cutting-edge technology.
Frequently, the ACI is the first, and often only,
team within hundreds of miles to purchase,
install and utilize cutting-edge equipment
from manufacturers such as Dell®, HP®,
Lenovo® and Juniper® networks,” Groel said.
Being the first team in the area to work with
these new technologies has been challenging
at times. Unforeseen obstacles sometimes
arise, causing the ACI team to identify the
problem and search for effective solutions
while also minimizing the cost. “To solve
problems on the job, it’s necessary to bring in
our mentor, other employees and sometimes
the manufacturer to come up with a solution
to the problem,” Groel said. Working closely
with his mentor is important to Groel, and
he appreciates the way his mentor simulates
a real-world job experience. “My mentor is
always there to provide support and guidance,
but he gives us room to make mistakes and
figure out how to fix them on our own. He
fills in the gaps of my knowledge by asking
strategic questions and giving me specific
tasks to help broaden my experience, which
has been extremely valuable to my learning
process,” Groel said.
Groel was able to cultivate essential career
skills beyond the technical aspects of his job,
allowing him to become a more well-rounded
job candidate. Taking the lead on his own
projects, assigning tasks to other interns and
monitoring the progress and quality of the
work being done helped Groel learn effective
leadership in the workplace. “I really learned
that being a leader isn’t just someone who
gives tasks for others to complete, but
someone in the trenches, so to speak, with
the other workers to make sure things get
done quickly and with quality,” Groel said.
Being able to manage others and serve as
a leader opened up Groel’s career interests.
Before obtaining his UPIC position, Groel
never considered seeking a leadership role
in computer engineering. “Because of the
UPIC program, I am actively seeking full-time
employment in a management role within
Information Technology (IT), where I can
continue to have a hand in multiple areas
and provide direction in future infrastructure
installations and upgrades,” he said. After the
valuable work experience and career guidance
he had during his UPIC position, Groel is even
more equipped to head into the workforce
following graduation.
“I really learned that being a leader isn’t just someone who gives tasks for others to complete, but someone in the trenches, so to speak, with the other workers to make sure things get done quickly and with quality.”
49
UPICINTERN Allyson Walters
50
Students in the UPIC program are granted
many opportunities outside of the classroom
to not only grow and develop themselves, but
also to help Clemson grow and develop as
a community and as a university. Students
like Allyson Walters, a junior in the nursing
program, gain hands-on experience and bring
valuable change to Clemson.
Walters works in the Healthy Campus office
as an intern with the Alcohol and Other Drugs
program. She spends the majority of her time
doing research and collecting data to put
together projects and campaigns that support
the safety measures and facts surrounding
student usage of alcohol and drugs. She then
uses the data she finds for presentations
given to other departments on campus and
in the surrounding community like Redfern
Health Center and Clemson University Police
Department (CUPD). “A lot of my day is
analyzing data and creating presentations.
It takes up a lot of time because we have to
make sure it is completely accurate,” Walters
said.
Learning to coordinate data findings into a
successful presentation has helped Walters
develop more leadership qualities than she
expected before entering into her position.
Healthy Campus has many subsets, which
keeps Walters in constant communication
with her coworkers. She shared how they
are continuously building on one another to
complete the end goal. “We all work together
and collaborate with one another on different
projects, communicating data to each other.
Even though we are all doing different parts
for our different positions, we definitely have
to work together to become successful,”
Walters explained.
Walters learned the importance of accuracy
through her experience in the UPIC program,
but she has seen it goes beyond just getting
the numbers right. Walters has witnessed how
the presentations she created were valuable
assets in bringing about positive change to
Clemson. “Reaching students is the most
difficult aspect of my position,” Walters said.
“But, when you see the statistics improve
from project to project — that makes it all
worth it because you know your work has
made a difference in the individual lives of
students at Clemson.” Walters has found the
more people see Healthy Campus campaigns
with Clemson-specific facts, the more likely
they are to use the tips and suggested safety
measures.
Walters’ personal and professional growth was
also impacted by her experience to educate
others on healthcare-related topics. Her
UPIC internship with Healthy Campus made
her studies as a nurse even more relevant,
as she will conduct patient education in her
career field. When she becomes a nursing
professional, Walters will use the skills
she’s learned in communication to present
the importance of certain topics with more
accuracy and effectiveness. For Walters,
having a UPIC internship in college allowed
her to gain a wide range of core skills and
gave her a chance to prepare in specific areas
for her career before graduation.
“We all work together and collaborate with one another on different projects, communicating data to each other. Even though we are all doing different parts for our different positions, we definitely have to work together to become successful.”
51
UPICINTERN Trevlonta Peeples
52
Student interns in the UPIC program take on
professional responsibilities in their positions,
but they also gain insight into their own
self-awareness. Throughout his internship,
Trevlonta Peeples, a senior civil engineering
major, was able to learn an array of things
outside of his major and general interests.
As a University Housing & Dining intern,
Peeples was given the opportunity to explore
sustainability. “There are a lot of things I
didn’t even know I was interested in before
working here, but I found sustainability is
actually something I am extremely interested
in,” Peeples said. His position gave him the
opportunity to work on the social side of
sustainability, which largely includes behind-
the-scenes work to address sustainability
issues around Clemson’s campus. His
responsibilities included attending multi-
departmental meetings, planning and hosting
sustainability events, and producing marketing
materials for events.
Peeples said having a credible internship
like UPIC heightened his college experience.
“With my UPIC internship, there’s always
something new to do, learn and experience.
The work is always challenging,” Peeples
said. “In other jobs there wasn’t much to it,
but having a UPIC internship has actually
developed me into a better employee and
has helped prepare me for my future.”
The experience Peeples gained from working
on sustainability issues also informed his
future career goals and aspirations. Before
entering his UPIC internship, Peeples said he
did not know how sustainability could fit into
the civil engineering field. “When I graduate,
I still want to do civil engineering, but I
also want some aspect of my job to involve
sustainability,” he said. “This internship has
definitely put sustainability on my mind for
after graduation.” Peeples now wants to look
for companies who have strong sustainability
mindsets within the civil engineering field,
companies who use sustainable materials and
construction methods and who are working to
create a more sustainable community.
Peeples said his choices for the future have
been impacted by the positive and rewarding
experience working as a UPIC intern.
“I really enjoy coming into work every day, and
I love the work I get to do. With something as
important as sustainability,
“I really enjoy coming into work everyday, and I love the work I get to do. With something as important as sustainability, I feel like my work matters.”
I really feel like my work matters,” he said.
Feeling a sense of fulfillment in his position
motivates Peeples to do his best to become a
better leader inside and outside of the office.
He feels more confident and prepared for his
future career as he enters the workplace upon
graduation. “I know I will incorporate things
I have learned in this internship in whatever
I end up doing in life. Everything I have
learned here is that important.”
53
UPICINTERN Emily Blackshire
54
UPIC internships give students the
opportunity to work closely with Clemson
University faculty, who help prepare and
empower them to make a difference. Rising
senior Emily Blackshire has been able to
make a difference by giving back to the
Clemson community through five UPIC
internship rotations.
Blackshire, a language and international
health major, began her UPIC experience two
years ago working on sustainability-related
projects with University Housing & Dining.
Under mentor Gary Gaulin, associate director
of Sustainability, she planned sustainability-
related events and coordinated food recovery
initiatives. In her next position, she worked
closely with UPIC mentor and director of
Residential Learning, Dr. Suzanne Price,
on a research project. The project, which is
focused on first-year students, assessed the
students’ knowledge of sustainability in their
first few months at Clemson.
As a rising senior, Blackshire said she feels
more prepared for graduation than she
expected and shared how the freedom to think
independently gave her the confidence to
make decisions not only in her job, but also
with how she thinks critically going forward.
“At my first UPIC internship, we didn’t
necessarily have assignments. Our mentor
would come in and we would all discuss
things on an existential level,” Blackshire
said. “We would ask questions like, ‘What
issues do we see on campus? Are students
caring about sustainability? What can we do
about it?’ From there, we took the reigns to
make it happen.” Open-ended discussions
and duties that involved developing and
planning sustainability events allowed
Blackshire to be creative and innovative with
her thinking, and to also work within a team
environment.
Engagement is a process Clemson cultivates
not only in the classroom, but among faculty,
staff and departments as well. Blackshire
and her fellow interns were encouraged to
work together and with other areas within the
University to accomplish their goals and plan
events. “We were constantly reaching out to
other offices and organizations,” Blackshire
explained. “There’s such a priority put on
collaboration at Clemson. We were always
reaching out and other offices were always
willing to help. That’s just how it is here.”
The collaborative component of Blackshire’s
internships allowed her to connect with parts
of the Clemson student body, faculty and
staff she wouldn’t have otherwise known. It
gave her the opportunity to form valuable
relationships and connections. “It was really
cool to be able to connect with other UPIC
interns from other parts of campus throughout
this process. When we reached out to their
departments, we were learning to create our
own professional connections with other
interns in the UPIC community,” Blackshire
said.
Promoting sustainability issues was more
impactful because she was able to bring
others into the process. Forming these
connections and relationships with other
students across campus became Blackshire’s
favorite aspect of her work, and she said it
changed her Clemson Experience for the
better.
“The best part is looking back and knowing that I’m not the same person I was when I accepted the offer. I am more well-rounded and prepared for my future.”
Over the course of Blackshire’s time as
an intern, UPIC served as a true source of
professional growth and development for her.
“This [UPIC internship] really motivated me
to stay in this type of work,” Blackshire said.
“I want to go to law school, but also get a
master’s in social work. I want to get this dual
degree so I can eventually become a public
defender.” Blackshire admits the plans are
strongly influenced by her UPIC internships.
She reflects, “The best part is looking back
and knowing I’m not the same person I was
when I accepted the offer. I am more well-
rounded and prepared for my future.”
55
UPICALUMNI Summers Binnicker
56
UPIC internships put students in great
positions for success after graduation,
especially those who step into full-time
careers right away. Many UPIC alumni
attribute their post-graduation success in the
job market to their time as UPIC interns, such
as class of 2014 alumna Summers Binnicker.
Binnicker, who majored in marketing and
double minored in finance and accounting,
worked as an intern with the then-Regional
Economic Development Center (REDC) at a
pivotal time in her college career. The position
was predominantly a consulting position,
working with innovative entrepreneurs across
the state of South Carolina. Binnicker served
as the marketing lead and helped individual
entrepreneurs create marketing plans and
define target customers. This was Binnicker’s
first opportunity to apply classroom concepts
in a real-work setting. “I had the opportunity
to work with real business owners and start-up
entrepreneurs; it was my first taste of business
venture in real time,” Binnicker said.
Throughout her time as a UPIC intern with
the REDC, Binnicker gained valuable skills
like time management, meeting deadlines,
building client relations, multitasking and
working as a team member. Something
that proved to be even more beneficial for
Binnicker after graduation was the opportunity
for career exploration. Having a professional
internship allowed Binnicker to gain direction
for her future. “I truly did not know what I
wanted to do after college; the internship
helped me figure out things I liked to do
and things I did not like to do,” explained
Binnicker. “It was a huge part of the
exploration process.” Binnicker discerned the
best career direction for her was in business,
which led her to explore more internships in
that area before graduation.
Binnicker describes her internship experience
as a trial run for the real world — a place
where she could explore different fields of
work and types of organizations, and then
decide what she liked. “UPIC, specifically,
is a niche opportunity to explore different
types of work while still balancing classes.
Working through UPIC, you can try a variety
of things and switch it up every semester if
you’d like,” Binnicker said. Gaining direction
from her UPIC internship, Binnicker was
motivated to find other internships in the
business field. “One of the best parts of my
UPIC experience was working with my peers.
They were an awesome sounding board when I
was contemplating companies and internships
I wanted to apply for after finishing my UPIC
rotations,” Binnicker said.
After her internship with the UPIC program,
Binnicker became an intern for Bank of
America and was then offered a full-time
position after graduation in their Charlotte,
N.C. office. Taking her career a step further,
Binnicker accepted a position with Wells
Fargo, also in Charlotte, in the fall of 2016.
Now that she is working as a full-time
employee, Binnicker realizes how impactful
her UPIC experience was to her career after
graduation. “There are so many similarities
... I experience all of what I learned in my
internship on a daily basis,” Binnicker said.
“Developing the skills I did in my internship
absolutely made me more confident heading
into a full-time position after college.”
“I had the opportunity to work with real business owners and start-up entrepreneurs; it was my first taste of business venture in real time.”
57
UPICALUMNI Paul Mosher
58
“With an internship, and especially with UPIC, you are doing things that are going to go into effect, just like it would happen in the real world. It really helps diversify your learning, so that you are not just learning in the classroom.”
Alumni of the UPIC program experience its
benefits long after graduation. Having a UPIC
internship in college helped these alumni
gain valuable skills and connections that
made them more competitive candidates after
college. For UPIC alumnus, Paul Mosher,
having several rotations of work experience
before graduation put him ahead of his peers.
Mosher was the first architectural intern
for the Student Affairs Publications office,
a position created for him after his first
internship rotation that summer. During his
time as a UPIC intern, Mosher was in charge
of keeping the campus map updated as well
as weighing in on design projects that directly
affected students. Within this role, Mosher
became proficient in design programs in the
Adobe Creative Suite. “My internship required
me to use a lot of computer programs,
especially the Adobe Creative Suite. I was a
lot further ahead in learning those than most
of my peers,” Mosher said. After graduation,
Mosher continued his Clemson education by
pursuing a Master of Architecture degree.
Currently, Mosher is a full-time student at
Clemson’s Charleston, S.C. satellite campus,
while also working as an intern in a local,
residential architectural firm. “Because I
had that experience, working so much with
the Adobe Creative Suite, my graphics and
designs looked a lot better. I was able to land
an architecture internship earlier than a lot
of people,” Mosher explained.
Mosher’s UPIC experience as an
undergraduate motivated him to find an
internship while pursuing his master’s
degree. Mosher now knows that the value of
an internship is in the opportunity to learn
in a hands-on environment that encourages
risk taking and moments of growth. “With
my internship, I saw I grew and learned a lot
faster because I did not have to be afraid of
making mistakes; because in an internship,
every project is a teaching opportunity,”
Mosher said.
Through the UPIC program, he was able to
see how important it is to gain real-world
experience alongside classroom experience.
Mosher also hopes gaining more experience
will continue to keep him a step ahead of
other students. “With an internship, and
especially with UPIC, you are doing things
that are going to go into effect, just like it
would happen in the real world. It really helps
diversify your learning so that you are not just
learning in the classroom,” Mosher explained.
The UPIC program served not only as a place
for Mosher to learn, but it also became a
place where he could collaborate, lead and
teach. Toward the end of his UPIC experience,
the Student Affairs Publications office hired
another architectural intern, which opened up
the space for Mosher to become a lead intern.
Leading his peers required Mosher to further
develop his communication, collaboration and
leadership skills, all necessary components
of effective engagement.
Mosher will leave Clemson with not only
the knowledge and skills to be a qualified
architect, but also with experiences that will
set him apart as a leader in his field.
59
UPICALUMNI Réven Smalls
60
“You never know if the things you do as an intern will make a difference in the short term or in the long term, especially if the projects and initiatives you have worked on matter a great deal to the success and progression of the department. I have left my mark on Clemson.”
Through their positions in the UPIC program,
many students feel they make a difference on
Clemson’s campus. For Clemson University
and UPIC alumna, Réven Smalls, the
opportunity to have an internship during her
college years not only provided her with the
self-confidence and relationship-building
skills to become successful after graduation,
but allowed her to make an impact while she
was at the University.
After graduating from Clemson University in
2014, Smalls became a graduate student,
studying clinical psychology at Augusta
University in Augusta, Ga. During her time at
Clemson, Smalls worked as an optimization
intern in the UPIC office. This internship was
Smalls’ first job, and it became increasingly
important to her. Meeting and connecting with
new people, collaborating with a team who
was dedicated and working behind-the-scenes
for a growing organization are some of the
aspects she found most beneficial in her time
in the UPIC program.
Smalls served as the first optimization intern
for the UPIC office and was responsible for
creating “UPIC It Up,” a monthly newsletter
that features both a mentor and an intern
experience, as well as important upcoming
information. Her responsibilities included
obtaining and filing pictures and documents,
facilitating interviews for recommended UPIC
spotlights and even constructing an internship
manual still in use today. Her internship
allowed her to not only leave her mark on the
UPIC program, but also gave her more self-
awareness and professional experience. She
said her internship allowed her to gain more
confidence in herself and her abilities. “I felt
more capable and comfortable. I felt that my
voice was heard 100 percent on suggestions
and ideas I presented, and a lot of my ideas
were implemented, or at least considered, by
my colleagues or superiors,” Smalls said.
Working in the UPIC office, together with the
UPIC staff, Smalls learned, “...how to develop
close, professional relationships with a small
group of people, inclusive of coworkers and
superiors.” This is a skill that has helped
her transition into life after graduation. For
Smalls, developing good in-office relationships
motivated her to have better work ethic, and it
showed her how important it is to always take
the time to get to know co-workers. Smalls
said she realized how important having close
relationships with her colleagues, especially
her mentor, Lisa Robinson, has become after
college. “The mentor relationship was really
key. I looked to my mentor for guidance and
direction in the professional world, and I
looked to her for motivation toward success.
Because I established a good connection with
her, she will likely serve as a reference for
future career and schooling opportunities. I
still keep in touch and check in with her, and
she does the same with me,” Smalls said.
Smalls now reflects on her time as a UPIC
intern and notes how her internship indirectly
prepared her for the future, specifically for
interview processes and utilizing resources.
Smalls felt her professional interview skills
became top-notch because she was often
interviewing others or being interviewed
during her time in the UPIC office. She
learned “how to answer questions and what
questions to ask the employer during the
interview.” Working so closely in the Center
for Career and Professional Development
also gave Smalls easy access to job-related
materials, such as template résumés and
cover letters, and allowed her to conduct
more in-depth career research.
Smalls considers UPIC a vital part of her
college career, an opportunity she would
encourage students to take advantage of
during their time at Clemson. Looking back,
Smalls feels most proud to have left a lasting
impact on Clemson through the work she
did in her internship. “You never know if
the things you do as an intern will make a
difference in the short term or in the long
term, especially if the projects and initiatives
you have worked on matter a great deal to the
success and progression of the department. I
have left my mark on Clemson,” Smalls said.
61
(The contents of this interview have been edited and condensed for clarity and length.)
Mentor Experience:
Meagan: Describe what it means to be a UPIC
mentor.
Bethany: For me it’s about shaping and
molding the intern’s experience. I was an
intern in a lot of different circumstances as
an undergrad, and each internship is very
valuable. They gave me good relationships and
experience I didn’t get in the classroom. Also,
it is (sort of) educating students about this
career path because you cannot necessarily
get a degree in what we do. I like to teach the
interns about the impact of philanthropy on
this campus and that’s been really the most
important thing for the students to see and
understand. I hope they look at a building like
the Hendrix Student Center and not just see a
building with dining and career services, but
the Hendrix family, who gave the money to
make that building possible. I want students
to see the personal sacrifice people make
in their philanthropic journey and how that
impacts this University.
Meagan: Why do you think internships are
important?
Bethany: Internships are a great resource
for our office. It’s a great opportunity for
students to learn but also to help us. To
do the work that we do — we do not have
unlimited resources; having students is a dual
benefit for us because we have three to four
interns, which is almost another full-time
staff member. I think it also gives the interns
real-life experience because you need tangible
work experience in order to get a job. It’s
going to really distinguish them and give them
a leg-up when they graduate from school or
in their first job after graduation.
Meagan: How do you make this internship
as much like the real world as possible?
Bethany: Meagan has been with us for a
number of rotations, but in the beginning it’s
learning the database. The responsibilities
grow as the interns get more comfortable and
confident in working. Now, she’s creating and
working on projects that are new and have not
been done before. Our interns have real-world
experience because they do real work. I want
interns to see they are valuable, contributing
members in our office. In the real world,
everyone is a contributing member, so that
is how I strive to make the interns feel
while they are working here.
Meagan HuffIntern
Mentor and Intern
Meagan: What have you learned from being
a UPIC mentor?
Bethany: I have learned how to better hone
my management skills. Being a young staff
member, I have not had a ton of management
experience. Students have different skills and
attributes. Different students handle stress
differently, so it has helped me to realize I
may need to tailor my style a little more if an
intern is having a hard week or has a lot of
exams. I have also learned how to have some
tough conversations. We are pretty close in
age, so it’s that balance and establishment
between work and friendship. There’s a time
for us to talk about how your weekend was,
but then it is time to get down to business.
I have learned to spend more time getting
to know the interns as people and not just
as my interns.
Meagan: What benefit do UPIC interns bring
to your office?
Bethany: UPIC interns bring a huge benefit to
our office. For starters, we do what we do for
the students. Seeing students physically in
the office is a reminder what we are all here
for and why we all work so hard at what we
do. Also, having students just brings more
talent to our office. Our UPIC interns are so
talented, and the work that they do brings
new life to things. They think about things
differently and help us make things better.
CONTINUED
Bethany GroganMentor
Intern Experience:
Bethany: What made you want to do this
internship?
Meagan: I knew I wanted job experience
before I graduated. Someone I knew had
done this UPIC internship, so talking to her
about her experience really motivated me to
move forward in applying. It appealed to me
to work in an area that was different than the
healthcare field because I knew that is what
I wanted to do, but I also wanted to confirm
that decision.
Bethany: Is there something you have learned
through this experience you didn’t expect to
learn?
Meagan: All of the skills I have learned
from running different reports, managing
databases — now I can be much more
efficient in my work. I did not expect to
learn Razor’s Edge [NXT™ by blackbaud®],
which is our donor database with more than
220,000 constituents. Also, just learning
how to balance time between work and school
and social things. That took a little bit of an
adjustment, but that is also beneficial for
the real world.
Bethany: What has this internship taught you
about leadership?
Meagan: This semester especially, we took
on three new interns, so part of my job is to
train all of the new interns. I have definitely
learned how to be a much better leader
as well as a much better teacher. I have
learned how to communicate effectively and
efficiently in a way they will understand. It’s
been a challenge, but it has also been really
good. It’s taught me how to be more relatable
as a leader to the other interns.
Bethany: What has your mentor taught you
through this experience?
Meagan: My mentor has pushed me out of
my comfort zone, but that is how you learn
best and how you grow as a professional. It
really forced me to learn more because I had
to learn things on my own and ask questions
along the way.
Bethany: What is the most difficult aspect
of your job and how have you learned to
overcome it?
Meagan: The most difficult aspect of my job
are the tiny details in the reports we run. If
you mess one up, then the whole report is
wrong. I thought I was detail-oriented before,
but because of jobs like that, I am even more
detail-oriented. Just in general, having a
UPIC internship, you have to devote a certain
amount of time to work and also have a full
course load — it can be a big challenge, but
it has forced me to grow as a professional.
Bethany: What has it meant for you to have
this experience while in college?
Meagan: Having this experience while in
college has been extremely valuable. I also
just think this is what will set me apart from
a lot of other people and applicants out there.
And even though this position is not in the
healthcare field, there are still lots of skills
I have learned here, especially navigating
the large database.
Bethany: If you had to describe your UPIC
experience with three words, what would
they be?
Meagan: Three words — definitely
‘challenging’ would be one. It has pushed
me to be a better person and student and
future professional. I also think it is very
interesting. I really enjoy the work I do here. I
like working with the development office and
learning about different donors that make this
campus possible and think I have gained a
really interesting outlook on the University in
general. The projects we do are really fun. I
got to be a part of the process of things like
helping choose which donors will be invited to
sit in the President’s box at Clemson football
games and getting the suite, invitations and
other things ready to make it happen.
Bethany: What’s next for you?
Meagan: I actually just got accepted into
Emory University for their accelerated
Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing
program, so I will be a pediatric nurse
practitioner in December 2019.
CONTINUED
64
Gaining work e xpe rience and
personal grow th to further your
career in the fu ture.65
Suite 314, Hendrix Student CenterClemson, SC 29634-5120